Getting off the ship

[lovezepplin]

Happy Thursday to all. I have the chance to get a 10:30 flight home after leaving the ship. In the past, our flights have always been early afternoon so there was never any rush to leave. I have not confirmed the flight yet and would like some feedback from fellow cruisers on this. Will Princess be able to have us off the ship early enough so we can catch a taxi to the Ft. Lauderdale airport or is this flight time not doable.

Thanks for your help.

[paul929207]

When is your ship scheduled to arrive/ If it is 7am or earlier and if everything goes well, you can make a 10:30. But it is not a sure thing.

[srphnx]

IMO that is asking for stress and or trouble. I would never schedule a flight earlier than 1:00 PM but if you like to "push it" you could try. In our experience it is not Princess but US customs that can cause big delays.

[chrysalis]

Depends on US Customs, number of ships in town, how busy the airport is...lots of things out of the cruise line's control.

 

If you plan on trying it, I would plan on self-disembarking and taking all of your luggage with you.

[lovezepplin]

Thanks, glad I didn't book the flight yet. I need to investigate the options a little bit more before make that final committment.

[Stevesan]

Thanks, glad I didn't book the flight yet. I need to investigate the options a little bit more before make that final committment.

 

Definitely find out how many ships will be in port. The airport lines can become extremely long and slow. If only a few ships are due in 10:30AM is tight' but doable, using "express disembarkation".

You will hand carry all your luggage off the ship. I recommend turning over your bags to a porter in the terminal who will take you directly to a taxi. It's worth the tip to avoid the cab line.

 

 

The last two times I used "express disembarkation" I was at the airport between 8:30-9:00.

[Flyer]

If you check with Princess either via telephone or look at your personalizer I think you will find Princess recommends NO flight before 1030. We have made numerous flights from FLL @ 1035 am with absolutely no problem. Verify with Princess though.

 

Oops, I forgot...we did miss one flight after a Transatlantic trip which arrived 5 hours late because of weather. :)

[Liz54]

It also depends on your date. We missed a mid afternoon flight on Christmas Eve because there were so many ships, clogged airport etc.

[77Network]

Just go ahead and do it. Planes are like buses. Just wait a few minutes and another one will be there.

[Pam in CA]

If you disembark early (either doing self-disembarkation or regular disembarkation), you should make it. However, there are often unforeseen circumstances and the time of the year can change that. I've gotten to FLL really early only to wait over half an hour to check in curbside (it would have been well over an hour inside) and another 45 minutes going through Security. Getting to FLL is only half of the equation. Take that into consideration.

[EddieCruzer]

We always take a 10:20am flight out of FLL after our cruise and we have never had an issue making it to the airport on time. We are usually there by 8:30am.

[NoGvmnt]

No rushing for me, I just book a pre and post cruise hotel. :D

 

Jim

[JoAnneNYI]

We had a 10:35 Southwest flight. Ship arrived at 7am. Did the "self-Help" disembark and was at the airport at 7:45am. Very smooth. No problem with taxi line either...lots of cabs all lined up waiting for you.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We've made a 10:30 flight from Ft. Lauderdale before with no problems--everything was on time and normal for getting off the ship. Any delays and it might be iffy.

[wrg11]

Any recommendations for pre-cruise hotel in FLL? It looks like our flight will be getting in verylate so we don't need anything too fancy. Thanks in advance.

[wrg11]

I'm sorry. I meant to start a new thread.

[lovezepplin]

Thanks for the great feedback fellow cruisers:) I am thinking it may be wiser to sit at the boarding gate for a couple of hours that miss the flight because of something unforseen and have to pay for another flight.

 

Better safe than sorry (or out alot of $$$$$)

[bjkTX]

We got off the Crown in FLL last Thursday and planned to spend the day touring. So we delayed getting off the ship until 9:30, cleared through picking up our luggage and customs (?) in about 10 minutes and we were at our rental car office (by shuttle) by 10.

 

On a normal day you'd be ok - as long as they get in on time.

[shepp]

I just faced the same question and opted for a later flight. While I haven't been delayed disembarking at FLL, I was at San Pedro and the transit passengers on my last cruise faced hours of delay getting off at San Francisco. Sure, I know plenty of folks have made early flights. But I decided to have a leisurely breakfast in the MDR, hang out onboard for a while, and take a later flight. Better a couple of hours killing tine at an airport than wondering if I'm going to make it through airport security in time.

[Loonbeam]

We were very happy with the embassy suites, but anything close to the port will work. The Hyatt looked and someone else said the Comfort in was good.

 

From the Embassy its a quick walk to Publix for supplies.

 

 

Any recommendations for pre-cruise hotel in FLL? It looks like our flight will be getting in verylate so we don't need anything too fancy. Thanks in advance.

[champagne lover]

Any recommendations for pre-cruise hotel in FLL? It looks like our flight will be getting in verylate so we don't need anything too fancy. Thanks in advance.

 

We recently stayed in Rodeway Inn & Suites and found exactly what we wanted, handy for port, clean, comfortable and a great price. Wouldn't choose it for a 2 week vacation but an overnight was perfect. We would definately go there again.

[Pam in CA]

We were very happy with the embassy suites, but anything close to the port will work. The Hyatt looked and someone else said the Comfort in was good.

We stayed at the Hyatt Place North for almost a month while my BIL was in the hospital nearly two years ago. It's almost right next to Embassy Suites and there's plenty of restaurants, supermarket, Total Wine, CVS, and Bank of America within a short walk. They have a self-serve laundry, free breakfast, free shuttle to/from the airport and cruise port, and the rooms are very large with a huge TV and sectional sofa. While we were there, the secondary TV markets used the hotel during the Pro Bowl and SuperBowl.